This invention pertains to plumbing equipment and, more particularly, to fittings for use with faucets.
In the past, sinks, wash basins, or other appliances were installed, by using a pipe such as a copper pipe which was suitably bent for attachment to the end of a water distribution pipe and the water supply intake of the appliance. The plumber or other installer had to make precise measurements, cut the copper pipe accordingly, shape it and finally connect it by welding. Such tasks were burdensome, cumbersome, and slow and not readily adaptable for do-it-yourself amateurs and most homeowners.
Flexible pipes have been used for connecting a sanitary appliance to a distribution network. Conventional flexible pipes have a copper tubular structure comprising corrugated walls which enable the pipe to be manually bent to the position of the fluid intake on the appliance as well as to the end of the distribution pipe. However, in order to be flexible, this type of tube has an extremely thin fragile metallic wall, which often cracks upon repetitive bending or flexing. Such cracks cause water leaks from the pipe.
The connections of appliances supplied with water using conventional metal pipes have the drawback of transmitting vibrations from the sink or other appliance, when the faucet is turned on, to the supply pipe. The use of a faucet of poor quality on the appliance produces vibrations which can be transmitted to the entire house, or to adjacent apartments and possibly even through the whole building. The connector can also serve to reduce the flow noises associated with plumbing lines.
Rigid supply tube assemblies have been used for many years in the plumbing market with a nosepiece and a rigid body. Typically, a plumber would cut the rigid supply assembly to the required length and bend the rigid or semi-rigid tube into place. This process requires a good deal of skill and most homeowners could not do it by themselves.
Conventional corrugated supply line assemblies have corrugated tubes and were introduced after the rigid supply tube assembly. Corrugated supply line parts allow some degree of flexibility during installation and some supply lines incorporate the use of a flexible head or nosepiece. The flexible head is typically composed of rubber or plastic. The purpose of the nosepiece is to provide a seal against a faucet inlet. The flexible head can be made for specific applications or customers. The body of the corrugated supply assembly allowed some flexibility, but still many homeowners had trouble doing-it-themselves. If the corrugated supply assembly is bent into one position, then bent again to correct a mistake in the alignment, it work-hardens the tubing. Usually, two or three bends work-hardens the tubing to its failure point. The supply tube assembly often splits and forms a hole between one or more of its corrugations causing water leaks.
When a flexible nosepiece is tightened to a faucet, the faucet leaves an impression on the surface of the nosepiece. If it is necessary at some later date to replace the faucet or disconnect the supply, it would be almost impossible to line up the impression a second time and the misalignments can cause a leak.
The next products that entered the market were polyvinyl chloride (PVC) hoses. PVC hoses consists of a flexible vinyl hose with two attached fittings. They are attached to the faucet base by means of a nut using a washer, o-ring, or plastic head. The other end of the PVC hose is attached to a supply valve or supply pipe using a washer or o-ring.
Polybutylene tube supplies are very similar to the traditional rigid supply tube but offer flexibility and a one-piece design.
Plastic and rubber fittings, gaskets, and nosepieces often fail, leak, or otherwise degrade over time with heat and pressure.
Although a hose can be longitudinally extensible for accommodating an internal excess pressure, the flow rate will be reduced if the diameter is decreased. It is important that the flow rate be uniform. It is, therefore, desirable that a connection of this type be dimensionally stable, irrespective of the internal pressure.
One useful type of flexible hose is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,027. The hose offers flexibility and reliability not found in either PVC or polybutylene hoses and can be equipped with a washer to seal the connection to the faucet base.
The plumbing wholesale trade, however, prefers bulk packaging with washers individually attached to the connectors. This step can involve a great deal of added cost for the handling, the washer and the cap.
Over the years various types of hoses and faucet connectors have been suggested. These prior art hoses and faucet connectors have met with varying degrees of success.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide an improved faucet connector assembly which overcomes most, if not all, of the preceding problems.